"It is better to travel well than to arrive."

We pulled into New Orleans to see crowds of men and women in various styles of red dresses. From tutus to ballgowns, old and young, male and female, everyone was wearing one and laughing and smiling. Now, I knew New Orleans was a place to expect the unexpected, but even I was taken back for a moment! Then I remembered that this was the annual Red Dress Run, a charity event, and it all made much more sense! It was quite a welcome to New Orleans though!

Our first two days in New Orleans are going to be at the center of the literary world in New Orleans: The Hotel Monteleone. Not only did Capote write here, he liked to brag that he was born here! In fact, after walking in the front door I couldn't imagine anywhere else from where a young Capote could be born! Tennessee Williams, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Faulkner were all frequent visitors to the hotel and I count myself fortunate to have visited it, let alone stayed in it!

It is a GOREGOUS building, at for a while it was one of the only places to stay in New Orleans, but it remains the nicest! From the rotating Carousel bar frequented by Capote, to the roof top pool (frequented by my son!)

This display welcomes guests into the Monteleone.

When I made my plans to visit New Orleans and study its literati, I wanted to find a literary tour. One name came up over and over again, professor and educator Inez! Inez was kind enough to take me through the Quarter and she filled in our tour with amazing stories from personal knowledge. A lifelong New Orleans native, Inez seemed to know everyone we met! I will share some of the highlights of the wonderful morning we spent together.

This was a home that Williams often stayed in.

This is a statue of the main character from John Kennedy Toole's a Confederacy of Dunces. His mother had it published posthumously, and upon her death bequeathed the royalties to the 11 New Orleans authors who supported her son's novel from the start.

This is one of the oldest and most famous restaurants in New Orleans, and a place where these authors frequently gathered. I think it is so important to remember that these authors did not live in vacuums. They lived near each other, they hung out, they shared ideas and they often critiqued each other.

A typical and beautiful view from the French Quarter.

This is a room from Antoine's- a family run restaurant since the 1860's. It is one of the largest in the Quarter and home to exclusive rooms for the high societal groups in New Orleans. Inez was able to let us tour the whole restaurant and see rooms that are normally not open to the public!